NPT Reviews of Books and other Material

Running Dry, a Journey From Source to Sea Down the Colorado River

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on August 27, 2010 - 1:03am

Part travelogue, part warning shot across the bow, Jonathan Waterman in his latest book takes us on a year-long journey down the Colorado River from source to the Sea of Cortez that should scare the wits out of those in the Southwest convince them to read the dusty writing on the wall.

This High, Wild Country, A Celebration of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on August 26, 2010 - 1:05am

Can something as seemingly inconsequential as a stone trigger a national park memory in your mind? If you pick up a rock on your next hike in a park, will you wonder about its origin?

One Best Hike: Grand Canyon

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on August 12, 2010 - 1:48am

Although the book is titled One Best Hike: Grand Canyon, what Elizabeth Wenk really provides is a wonderful primer on the geology, wildlife, natural history, and dangers of hiking in Grand Canyon National Park. And she also leads readers down from the South Rim to the Colorado River and back via the Bright Angel and South Kaibab trails.

Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on July 27, 2010 - 1:23am

It's more than appropriate that this year, the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway, that when you visit the parkway you get out and take a hike. And Randy Johnson is ready to tell you where to go.

Backpacking Wyoming, From Towering Granite Peaks to Steaming Geyser Basins

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on July 5, 2010 - 1:19am

There's a new book just hitting bookstores that will practically take you by the hand and lead you along some long-distance hikes in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National parks.

Stars Above, Earth Below, A Guide to Astronomy In the National Parks

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on June 24, 2010 - 1:56am

Add Stars Above, Earth Below, a Guide to Astronomy in the National Parks to your library and you'll not only gain a better appreciation of the dark skies over national parks, but you'll also be better informed on the stars twinkling at you.

Dream Hikes Coast to Coast, Your Guide to America's Most Memorable Trails

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on June 11, 2010 - 1:19am

In Dream Hikes Coast to Coast author Jack Bennett has done something more than a few folks would like to do: Head out on some great hikes, and then write about them. In assembling his hiking list, he took an approach that is both laudable...and disappointing.

Treasures Of America's National Parks

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on June 10, 2010 - 1:30am

Before Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan came out with their view of the National Park System, many others were turning their cameras on the parks. One collection I've found that is worthy of space in your DVD collection is Treasures of America's National Parks, a six-disk collection of some of the system's icons.

Common Southwestern Native Plants, An Identification Guide

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on May 12, 2010 - 12:00am

Anyone who spends time hiking in the national parks of the Southwest needs a good plant identification book. And "Common Southwestern Native Plants, An Identification Guide," is one of those books.

Ranger Confidential, Living, Working, and Dying In the National Parks

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on April 16, 2010 - 1:28am

Television shows love to portray park rangers as fit and polite, beaming dazzling smiles, displaying knowledge that knows no bounds, nerves of steel, and with dashing personalities. And then there are the realities, as Andrea Lankford describes in her latest book, Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks.